Bobbi Brown Sand Tortoise Shell Eye Palette

Bobbi Brown Sand Tortoise Shell Eye Palette ($60.00 for 0.32 oz.) contains eight eyeshadows: Ivory (creamy white), Hot Stone (medium brown), Terracotta (warm golden nude), Desert Sand (golden beige), Antique Rose (warm pink nude), Black Chocolate (black brown), Sandy Rose (brown bronze), and Gold Bar (pale gold).

Here’s a quick breakdown of Bobbi Brown’s finishes: regular eyeshadows have a matte finish, which means no shimmer; sparkle eyeshadows are glittery and have a translucent base to allow it to glide onto the lid; metallic eyeshadows are richly pigmented with a bright sheen; and shimmer wash eyeshadows are sheer and lightly pearlized.

• Ivory is a pale, creamy white with a matte finish. There is a softness to it that keeps it from being powdery or chalky. This is a regular (matte) eyeshadow and is part of the permanent range. Inglot #351 is similar but less warm.
• Hot Stone is a medium-dark brown with a hint of gray. This is a regular (matte) eyeshadow and is part of the permanent range. It’s a little darker than MAC Omega but lighter than MAC Charcoal Brown. Inglot #361 is less brown but similar.
• Terracotta is a lightened orange with a matte finish. This is a regular (matte) eyeshadow. MAC Samoa Silk is lighter and brighter. Inglot #368 is closer, but it’s more orange.
• Desert Sand is a pale champagne-gold with a bright, metallic sheen. This is a metallic eyeshadow. Urban Decay Blunt is similar but more golden. MAC Retrospeck also seems similar.
• Antique Rose is a medium-dark peach-beige with a matte finish. This is a regular (matte) eyeshadow. Inglot #337 is similar but not as pink.
• Black Chocolate is a blackened brown with a matte finish–it looks more charcoal than brown, though. This is a regular (matte) eyeshadow and is part of the permanent range. I couldn’t think of a dupe for this, just because it’s more gray-black than black-brown, but it’s very, very dark.
• Sandy Rose is a soft, light beige-taupe with a metallic sheen. This is a metallic eyeshadow. Inglot #402 is a bit darker but still similar.
• Gold Bar is a sheer white gold with lots of fine gold shimmer. This is a sparkle eyeshadow. Sparkle eyeshadows are supposed to be sheer, but this felt a little dusty and uneven overall–not just sheer. MAC Nylon is similar but has a whiter base color.

Overall, I think this palette is better than the Bronze Tortoise palette, because it has a better variety in finishes as well as the shades are more diversified, which makes it a more versatile palette in comparison.  The only troublemaker was Gold Bar, which despite the Sparkle finish, seemed uneven, and it was prone to fall out.  Ivory and Terracotta seemed a touch under-pigmented but just barely.

Unfortunately, the product sample I received to review did not come with a box, and the label on the back of the compact had sample labeling, so I couldn’t get an ingredients’ list or how much product was in it. I called my local Bobbi Brown counter and asked, and they said that the regular eyeshadows (mattes) contain 0.04 oz., sparkle finishes contain 0.02 oz., metallic finishes contain 0.05 oz., and shimmer wash finishes contain 0.05 oz. This palette contains 5x regular, 1x sparkle, and 2x metallic, which ends up being the equivalent value of: $50 in regular eyeshadows, $3.69 in sparkle eyeshadows, and $20 in metallic eyeshadows. All in all, this palette contains $73.69 worth of product.

The Glossover

	Sand Tortoise B+
	There is a good mix of mattes and shimmers in this palette, which is always nice to see. If you've been looking for a neutral palette with more matte eyeshadows, you might consider this. It's cooler in overall tone compared to the Bronze Tortoise palette. The only eyeshadow that had real issues was Gold Bar.
	Product 8.5/10 Pigmentation 8.5/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 9/10 Application 4/5
	Where to Buy
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Bobbi Brown Sand Tortoise Shell Eye Palette

Bobbi Brown Sand Tortoise Shell Eye Palette

Ivory, Hot Stone, Terracotta, Desert Sand

Bobbi Brown Ivory Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Ivory Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Hot Stone Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Hot Stone Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Terracotta Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Terracotta Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Desert Sand Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Desert Sand Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Sand Tortoise Shell Eye Palette

Antique Rose, Black Chocolate, Sandy Rose, Gold Bar

Bobbi Brown Antique Rose Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Antique Rose Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Black Chocolate Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Black Chocolate Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Sandy Rose Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Sandy Rose Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Gold Bar Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Gold Bar Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Black Velvet Collection: Eyeshadows

Bobbi Brown’s Black Velvet Collection includes three new Metallic Eyeshadows ($20 for 0.10 oz.), two new Eyeshadows ($20.00 for 0.08 oz.), and two new (and limited edition!) shades of Sparkle Eye Shadow ($24.00 for 0.13 oz.). I have four of the seven to review for you!

• Black Velvet is a blackened purple base with darkened lavender glitte and multi-colored shimmer. It has an almost wet, slightly tacky/sticky texture and feel, but it’s surprisingly blendable. It’s something you’d pat on rather than sweep on. There was some fall out when I used it, but it wasn’t much at all–definitely a lot less than you’d think for a glitter shadow.
• Black Berry is a deep brown-burgundy with flecks of red-burgundy shimmer. It doesn’t quite feel or read like a real metallic finish to me, but it’s a pretty shade nonetheless. It reminded me of a shimmery version of MAC Sketch.
• Black Charcoal is a dark black with soft gray tones and a matte finish. It’s opaque, smooth, and doesn’t look chalky.
• Black Chocolate is a blackened brown with cool undertones. It’s also smooth with a soft texture that doesn’t look chalky.

P.S. — I also realized something I hadn’t before, which was that Bobbi Brown’s eyeshadows are not all the same weight! They just look the same size, so it never occurred to me that they may not actually be that way.

RECOMMENDATION: Black Velvet is my favorite out of the bunch–it’s the one that feels the most original to me as well. If you love the way glitter looks but hate the mess it often makes, Bobbi Brown’s Sparkle Eyeshadows do a good job of giving you that fun, sparkly effect with minimal fall out.

AVAILABILITY: Bobbi Brown

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Bobbi Brown Black Velvet Eyeshadows: Black Velvet, Black Berry, Black Charcoal, Black Chocolate

Bobbi Brown Black Velvet Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Black Velvet Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Black Velvet Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Black Berry Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Black Berry Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Black Berry Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Black Charcoal Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Black Charcoal Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Black Chocolate Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Black Chocolate Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow: Black Velvet, Black Berry, Black Charcoal, Black Chocolate

Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow: Black Velvet, Black Berry

Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow: Black Charcoal, Black Chocolate